AMERICAN POSTAL WORKERS UNION

1 CONSTITUTIONANDBYLAWSOF THEAMERICAN POSTALWORKERS UNIONAFL-CIOAS AMENDED AUGUST 25, 2016 iiiTABLE OF CONTENTSPAGEP reamble ..ivMembers Bill of Rights ..vOfficers Oath of Office ..vi ARTICLE 1 Name ..1 2 Objectives ..1 3 Membership ..3 4 Jurisdiction ..6 5 Conventions ..7 6 Representation ..9 7 General Officers ..11 8 Department and Administrative Officers ..13 9 Division Officers ..17 10 Eligibility to Run and Hold National, State, or Local Office ..22 11 Nominations ..24 12 Election Process ..32 13 National Executive Board, Executive Council, and Committees ..36 14 Recall ..40 15 Local and Membership Protection ..40 16 Fiscal Year, Revenues, and Charters ..49 17 Subordinate Bodies ..55 18 Referendum ..56 19 National and Local Officers Benefits ..57 20 Locals, Area Locals, State, and Regional Organizations ..59 21 Succession of Officers and Vacancies.

2 60 22 Amendments ..61 23 Strike Sanction ..61 Bylaws ..64 ivPREAMBLEWe, the POSTAL WORKERS of America, in order to form a more perfect UNION , establish this , who come from the diverse crafts and divisions, believe in unity there is believe all members of labor have the right to economic, political and social all men and women have the inherent right to earn a living and to be justly paid for the services they all WORKERS have the right to expect to have decent shelter, food and clothing. That they have the right to see that their children have the best education. The investment of the WORKERS lifeblood in giving service gives them that further believe all men and women are created equal with the right to determine their own destiny and to participate in the forces and events that affect believe all WORKERS have the right, regardless of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, nationality, handicap, political affiliation, age, or religion to hold their heads high and to have respect for themselves as believe, therefore, that in the spirit of the Declaration of Independence and the U.

3 S. Constitution, all men and women are free and have the right to come together to promote the common cause of also believe all members have certain basic rights within our UNION and shall be secure in those rights. In order to give life to the Preamble of this Constitution and to the Constitution itself, the Members Bill of Rights has been established. vMEMBERS BILL OF RIGHTS 1. Every member has the right to be respected as a human being. 2. Every member has the right to be respected as a brother or sister of this UNION . 3. Every member has the right to freedom of speech and the right to be heard. 4. Every member has the right to the freedom to listen. 5. Every member has the right to the freedom of the press. 6. Every member has the right to participate in the activities of this UNION . 7. Members shall not be denied the right to seek any office or the right to vote in this UNION because of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, nationality, handicap, political affiliation, age or religion.

4 8. Every member has the right to support the candidate of his/her choice and to participate in that right with others. 9. Every member has the right to a fair trial, to be represented by an individual of his or her choice and to proper appeal Every member has the right to be secure in his or her basic rights without fear of political, economic, physical or psychological intimidation. viOFFICERS OATH OF OFFICEI, (name) , having been duly elected to office in the (state) (local) of the AMERICAN POSTAL WORKERS UNION , AFL-CIO, do solemnly pledge to uphold the Constitution and Bylaws of the AMERICAN POSTAL WORKERS UNION , AFL-CIO and of the (state) (local) .I further pledge to perform the duties of my office to the best of my ability. I promise that at the conclusion of my term of office, I will turn over to my successor all books, papers, records, and documents that are the property of the APWU (state) (local).

5 And I further pledge that once I no longer hold an office with the AMERICAN POSTAL WORKERS UNION and am no longer a bargaining unit employee, I will never testify in support of the United States POSTAL Service in any United States POSTAL Service arbitration or administrative hearing about internal UNION discussions and/or decisions that are made by the UNION or UNION leaders in regard to the AMERICAN POSTAL WORKERS UNION s contractual positions and/or AMERICAN POSTAL WORKERS UNION s internal further subscribe and affirm that if I resign or enter into an EAS position, whether detailed or permanent within one year of resignation or completion of term of office, I will subject myself to full reimbursement to the AMERICAN POSTAL WORKERS UNION for any and all training I received during the preceding year whether national, state, or but not least, I promise to purchase only UNION made articles, whenever available, and purchase from unionized retailers, whenever possible.

6 Failure to perform any of the above will mark me as an individual devoid of honor and destitute of integrity. 1 ARTICLE 1 Name The name of this organization shall be the AMERICAN POSTAL WORKERS UNION , AFL-CIO, hereinafter known as the 2 Objectives It shall be the objective of the APWU to secure through collective bargaining and legislative effort a safe and healthy work environment, better working conditions and a better standard of living for the members of the APWU and their families. SEC. 2. The APWU affirms its belief in a single UNION of all POSTAL WORKERS in non-supervisory levels. The APWU will make every effort to bring into being a single UNION of all POSTAL WORKERS by mergers with other POSTAL unions and initiating intensive all-out organizing campaigns reflecting the APWU philosophy. SEC. 3. The APWU will vigorously oppose any labor unions outside the POSTAL Service moving into the POSTAL Service UNION field.

7 SEC. 4. The APWU will call on the AMERICAN Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) and its President, to aid in the cause of merging all POSTAL unions into one single UNION . SEC. 5. The APWU will continue to organize the unorganized. SEC. 6. To unite within one organization, regardless of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, nationality, 2handicap, political affiliation, age, or religion, all employees under the jurisdiction of the APWU. SEC. 7. To educate our membership and the general public in the history of the labor movement and to develop and maintain an intelligent and dignified membership to vote and work for the election of candidates who favor the passage of improved legislation in the interest of all labor. To work for the repeal of laws which are unjust to labor and to POSTAL WORKERS , such as the denial of the right to strike and the denial of the right to support political candidates of their choice and to educate all members in the area of economic, political and social justice.

8 SEC. 8. To engage in legislative, political education, civic, welfare and other activities which further, directly or indirectly, the joint interests of the membership of this UNION in the improvement of general economic and social conditions in the United States of America. SEC. 9. (a) To work as an autonomous UNION affiliated with the AFL-CIO, together with other national and international unions for the solidification of the entire labor movement. (b) The National Executive Board may provide assistance, financial and otherwise, to labor and other organizations in the United States and other parts of the world having purposes and objectives similar or related to those sought by this organization. SEC. 10. The APWU is established as an industrial UNION , including in its membership POSTAL WORKERS of all divisions who are not classified as supervisors. Its top leadership shall consist of a President, Executive Vice President and Secretary-Treasurer.

9 3 SEC. 11. (a) The AMERICAN POSTAL WORKERS UNION shall request and make every effort to secure a meeting with the National Association of Letter Carriers, a minimum of once a year, for the sole purpose of discussing and moving in the direction of eventual merger. (b) Also, the same type of meetings shall be conducted a minimum of once every two (2) years with the other POSTAL unions (in the United States) that represent POSTAL WORKERS in non-supervisory levels. SEC. 12. The APWU shall encourage the formation of local, area local and state, retiree chapters of the Retirees Department in every state and territory of the United States, in order that all dues-paying retirees and their families shall have access to state, area local and local Retirees Department chapters to continue to fight for those issues which affect APWU members, retirees and their families. ARTICLE 3 Membership SEC. 1. Any non-supervisory employee, regardless of level or grade, within the jurisdictional claim of the APWU is eligible for membership.

10 Those accepted for membership shall pay full per capita tax, plus whatever dues may be required by their local UNION . A member s good standing status shall not be affected by the fact that a paycheck for the payroll period in which dues deductions are made is insufficient to permit such dues deductions by reason of illness, injury, military leave, pregnancy leave, lay-off, disciplinary suspension, lockout or strike. The national UNION shall not charge the locals for per capita tax on these members during the period but shall through their own resources keep members in good standing 4to protect their health coverage and any other benefits contingent on that good standing. SEC. 2. (a) No person eligible under the above provisions shall be denied membership because of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, nationality, handicap, political affiliation, age, or religion. (b) No national, regional, state or local officer in the APWU can be removed from office for duly authorized UNION activities other than through the procedures spelled out in the national Constitution.